Refurbished Mac Book Pro from Apple.

Question

Hi All,
I am planning to buy refurbished macbook pro from Apple for my Friend. Its Quad core processor with 4 GB Ram, 15 inch. Any one has experience with refurbished stuff from Apple?
There are two options and I am really confused on that if you guys can suggest me:
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.9GHz Dual-core Intel i7
Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program
Originally released June 2012
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280-by-800 resolution
8GB (2 x 4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Or
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel i7
Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program
Originally released October 2011
15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6750M
Not much difference in price.
There is another one which is used by someone and I am getting it really cheap
13.3 inch 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
8 GB DDR3 MEM - (Upgraded from stock)*******
120GB SOLID STATE DRIVE
Please suggest best one.

Answer 1

These are all good computers. All 3 are actually quite different and the one for you would entirely depend on the uses.
I will first compare the 1st and 3rd models as they are both 13". Price aside, the first one is superior in every way apart from (possibly) the hard drive. I say possibly because maybe your friend would prefer more space over speed. If not, you can always upgrade the hard drive to a SSD yourself.
However, you mention that the 3rd model will be "really cheap". You will have to decide if the significantly faster processor of the first model is worth the extra money - this extra money being both the difference in price and the cost of ugrading the hard drive if you choose to do so. Bear in mind the processor is not upgradeable at a later date.
As for the 15" model, this is an entirely different computer. It has a dedicated graphics chip which your friend would most likely appreciate if they run graphic intensive tasks such as games. The larger screen size may also appeal to your friend, if they are happy carrying the extra weight. Finally the processor of this model is potentially much stronger than both of the other two, depending on the tasks your friend will use it for.
Unfortunately this computer only comes with the basic 4GB RAM and standard hard drive although, just like the other models, this is completely upgradeable by anyone.
I haven't given you an answer but perhaps this info will help you decide